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I’ve spent a lot of time getting my “boot camp” guitar stuff together. But when it comes to jazz/standards, I haven’t been playing any tunes yet. Seems like a Real Book is the next step to get me started with actual music.
But I don’t know which edition or type of “real book” to start with. What do you all recommend?
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04-25-2023 03:41 PM
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No tunes yet? What were you learning!?
Definitely time for a Real Book and a stack of CD's. Or at least Spotify Premium...
The Hal Leonard Real Book 6th edition is good, as is the Sher Publishing "New Real Book."
So get those. And then get ready for people to tell you to burn them. But used correctly, these books can be a great resource.
Just always remember...the real ways (plural, that's important) to play these tunes are on the records. So trust your ears...but your ears might not be ready yet. So go ahead and use the books to check your ears. Just don't neglect those ears.
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No “jazz” or standards tunes yet. Just getting my fretboard notes, triads, major scales, major blues scales, and Jimmy Bruno positions down, with very little idea of what to do with any of them. I can’t sight read, but I know the individual notes. I have a good knowledge of the basic jazz chords, and I can spell the chord notes by number without too much delay most the time.
I have yet to apply any of these things, and really don’t know how.
Thanks for your response!
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I think the Real Book Vol 2 is better to start with. It’s got a lot of Blues heads and easier tunes.
Or you could download the 557 jazz standards pdf.
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Should I get “for C instruments?”
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You might have a look at these. Head, comping, chord melody, single note solo for each tune. Be choosy.
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
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Thank you for the other recommendations.
Mainly, I just want to know, when people talk about the real book, which ones they mean. Amazon has a lot of different options.
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The Real Book means this one. You want the C version.
https://www.amazon.com/Real-Book-I-C...s%2C117&sr=8-1
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Thank you!
Originally Posted by AllanAllen
The Real Book means this one. You want the C version.
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That’s what regular people, in America mean when they talk about the real book. Someone here is in Japan and they use a different book.
Don’t get what someone else says is better, you’ll learn the wrong changes and when you go to a jam it will just be harder. Keep it easy.
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This will be super cool. I listen to many of these standards in their original, or early versions, with the vocals.
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Get all realbooks for guitar as "C instrument". A lot of people will say chords are "wrong"...and maybe they are. But in most cases I can see, there are substitutions that could be "right" either way. So don't get caught up in the internet idea that realbooks are full of errors...most are just substitutions more or less.
Just learn songs and don't stress over the books too much. Look up the best 10 standards to start with. Here are the books I use and love and any of them would be great:
- Hal Leonard - real book jazz volume 1 (6th edition) - if only one book get this one
- Hal Leonard - real book jazz volume 2 - this is a tie with volume 1 for me
The other two I have and love are that are out of print:
- Hal Leonard - Jazz Bible Fake Book Swing Era
- Hal Leonard - Jazz Bible Fake Book Jazz of the 50s
- Hal Leonard - Jazz Bible Bebop (I have not found this for sale yet, since it's out of print)
Don't let the titles fool you, Swing is mostly classic standards, and 50s is more bebop and small group jazz.
But the big thing is find about 10 songs to learn and start there. I was like you, learning a lot of jazz "things" but no songs. Once I started learning songs it all came so much faster and funner (can someone recommend a grammar book?)
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^ Love it, thank you.
Yeah, I’ve spent time with the Micky Baker book and it all makes sense, except I have no idea how to apply them to standards. So, if something sounds weird to my ears, I will revert to some of those substitution ideas.
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That’s because everyone makes the point that you have to know your instrument and a lot of the basics, the circle of fifths, etc. So I’ve spent a lot of time on that stuff. I probably spent too much time on those things without learning songs, but in my few past attempts to learn standards songs, I usually came up against some limitation on the instrument that needed addressing. Originally Posted by AaronMColeman
I’m a modestly accomplished “fingerstyle” player and singer with a lot of folk, rock, and blues songs under my belt. But nothing with the harmonic interest and movement of what we call jazz or standards.
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It’s funny that you mention CDs, as I’ve been thinking of going that way again. Only my car plays them, so I’ll be looking for a player as a component for the stereo amp in the house. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I like Spotify Premium, but.
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I recommend volume one of the Hal Leonard Real Vocal Book (low voice). It has all the real book changes and melodies but includes lyrics, which are essential for understanding what the songs are about in my view.I'm a modestly accomplished “fingerstyle” player and singer...
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Totally agree about the lyrics being important. Most of my standards playlists contain the original hits. I have separate playlists for various instrumental, modern jazz versions. But even here, I lose interest in most things recorded after around 1955 especially when it just becomes riffing at blazing speeds. There are exceptions. But I like the actual songs and their meaning. Originally Posted by Tim Clark
Also my brain doesn’t comprehend much of what the more fusion-y guys are doing. Maybe I will appreciate it more later.
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Speaking of songs, what songs are you trying to learn?
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I prefer lead sheets with no lyrics, personally. I want things as clean and uncluttered as possible.
BUT--- knowing the words to a tune (the tunes that have them) is VERY important.
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I’ve got about 10 or 12 in mind now, How High the Moon, Autumn Leaves, Satin Doll, some Cole Porter stuff. I’ll probably do Les Feuilles Mortes first. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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When I'm learning a new tune the lyrics help. The main reason I personally like lyrics is that they keep me tied to the melody which I think is important in improvising over changes. But, in general, I like the lead sheet as clean as possible too. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I listen to each song I'm learning about 273 times before I really dig in with a guitar in hand, so by that point I have the melody in my head and the words are either etched in or ignorable.
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Honestly, if you keep doing that, then you're going to be just fine. Originally Posted by AaronMColeman
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The Real Book is an invaluable resource.
If you have to look at the chart while you're playing the song, tho, that means that you don't know the song yet. You have to keep practicing it until you don't have to look at the lead sheet anymore to play it, then you can say that know the song. Good luck with your music.
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